The Perfect Plot
by Diablo Chica
Summary: James comes up with the perfect plan to get Lily to go out with him. But there's hitches he didn't count on.
1. Description Page

**A/N: Well, right about now, This Is My Life is swimming in cyber space. I deleted it for good. Dun kill me! -cowers-**

**I was having far too much trouble with it so I decided I would skip ahead a few years. But so everyone who read what I had up knows: Amber started acting like a Slytherin, her friends made her realize she was being stupid, she became friends with her fellow Gryffindors, Cory (her Slytherin cousin who's a year older) finally admitted to being loyal to Slytherin, and they left Hogwarts to go home for the summer. Got it?**

**So now I'm going to show bits & pieces of fifth and sixth year until launching into seventh, just so you have a better understanding of their relationships and such. But first I'm going to do a description page and have the first chapter up in a few minutes.**

Lily Evans

She's a redhead with a temper. Don't mess with her because she will start yelling. She gets along with almost everyone save the Slytherins and two of the Gryffindor boys in her year. She has bright green eyes that narrow a lot except when she's around her friends. A few students think of her as 'James Potter's girlfriend' because he's been asking her out since fourth year.

Amber Young

Another girl you shouldn't mess with. Amber has long brown hair and brown eyes. She plays Beater on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team instead of Chaser like she used to want to play. She's determined to get Lily and James together, subtly of course, so she often yells at the both of them when she reaches the end of her rope with their constant arguments. She's a friend of the Marauders and has had an on-off relationship with Sirius for a while although she has had a crush on Remus since she–literally–bumped into him in first year.

Samantha Dobson

Samantha is one of the sweetest girls you'll ever meet. She's always willing to talk to anyone and give advice. She's even nice to the Slytherins…usually. She has blond hair that she keeps cut so it barely covers her ears, which she thinks are huge, and light blue eyes. She, like many girls, has a crush on James but, unlike the other many girls, makes sure that only her Gryffindor friends know.

Patty Collins

To be perfectly honest, Patty is a bit geeky. She's a total brain and is constantly using big words when describing simple things. She's never gotten below an E on any assignment. Students partly hate her because of that. She has black hair that is usually kept tied in two pigtails, despite the fact that she looks much younger than she is with the hairstyle.

James Potter

James is one of the most popular boys at Hogwarts. He has jet-black hair that refuses to lie flat no matter what, sparkling hazel eyes, and a grin that turns many girls into a pile of mush. He is constantly getting detention for hexing Slytherins, mostly Severus Snape, and playing pranks on everyone. He's been trying to get Lily to go out with him since the beginning of fourth year. He's a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Once you get past his arrogance and show-offy attitude, he's a pretty nice guy. He's the leader of his group of friends, the Marauders.

Nickname:Prongs.

Sirius Black

Sirius is another one of the most popular boys and second-in-command of the Marauders.He has raven-black hair that grows down to his shoulders. For some reason, he always looks _really_ good no matter what. Although he does go out with Amber occasionally, don't think he's madly in love with her or anything. He usually has a different girlfriend every month. Sirius is in detention as much as James, maybe more than him which is a big deal. If he's had more detentions than his best friend, it's because he has cousins and a brother in Slytherin.

Nickname:Padfoot

Remus Lupin

Remus is the intelligent, logical Marauder. He has sandy-colored hair and amber-colored eyes. He has a dark secret that only the other Marauders and teachers know: Remus is a werewolf. It's hard for him to lie every month when he goes to Hogsmeade every month to transform, but he has to do it. He gets good grades dispite spending time in the hospital wing after full moons and losing sleep. He is a prefect but doesn't usually try to stop James and Sirius with their pranks because he values their friendship too much.

Nickname: Moony

**A/N: I'm not going to bother with Peter because he will only make brief, if any, appearances in the entire fic. The first chapter will be up in a few minutes unless I get kicked off the computer by my parents. If I do, I'll probably get it up tomorrow since I have a week off school. Yay! : )**


	2. Fourth Year

**A/N: Like I said, I'm going to do bits & pieces of future years. And I decided to start with fourth year.**

"Oy, James!"

"Hey, Sirius!"

James Potter and Sirius Black grinned at each other as James walked onto Platform 9 ¾ with his father walking behind him, carrying James's owl, Soren. Sirius walked over and relieved Mr. Potter of the barn owl and started chatting with his best friend.

"How was your summer?" Sirius asked 

James shrugged. "It was okay. Stocked up on a load of Dungbombs, Stink Pellets, and anything else I could hide from Mum."

"Where is your mum?"

James sighed. "Sick. She's had a really bad cold. How was your summer?"

Sirius scowled. "The usual. Mum was horrible, Regulus was a git, Dad wasn't around much, and Bella, Narcissa, and those other twits visited. I mostly hung out with Andromeda which was the highlight of my summer."

"Sorry, mate," James said, clapping his friend on the back. He turned to his father. "Dad, I'm going to go get on the train. I'll owl you and Mum in a week or so."

Mr. Potter nodded and gave his son a brief one-armed hug. "Take care of yourself, James. And _please_ don't get in too much trouble, okay? Your mother and I don't need an owl every other day saying you've blown up a toilet."

"Gee, we've never tried that before. Thanks for the idea!" Sirius said brightly, grinning. Mr. Potter rolled his eyes and Disapparated. "Let's go find Remus and Peter, shall we?"

* * *

"Just ask him out." 

"No way!"

"Why not?"

"'Cause we're friends and he'll probably think I'm weird or something."

"Amber, I hate to break it to you, but you _are_ weird."

Amber Young shoved Lily Evans, grinning. "Shut up."

Lily grinned back at her and pointed at Remus, who was talking and laughing with Sirius, James, and Peter Pettigrew. "Just go up to him, ask if you can speak to him alone, and ask him out! You've liked him for three fricking years."

"Have not," Amber lied. "I've only liked him for one."

"Uh-huh. Then why do you have pieces of parchment covered with his name from first year? Remus Lupin, Remus Lupin, Remus Lupin."

"You called?"

Amber and Lily both jumped. "Do you _have_ to sneak up on us like that?" Amber whined to Remus. "That's not very nice."

Remus shrugged and a grin crept across his pale face. "Were you two talking about my wonderful good looks?" he joked.

Lily started to say something but was interrupted by James yelling, "Evans! That you?"

"No, Potter, I'm the Easter Bunny," she muttered darkly.

James stood beside her, Sirius and Peter only a few steps behind. "I hardly recognized you. You've changed over the summer." He casually put his arm around her shoulders. "I was thinking, maybe you'd do me the honor of going on a date this weekend?"

"Not a chance." Lily pulled away from James, shot Amber a look that clearly said 'See? Asking someone out isn't a big deal. Even if it's someone like Potter,' and said out loud, "I'm going to go find Samantha and Patty. Bye." With that, she walked away quickly.

"Well, it was worth a shot. I'll just try again sometime," James said.

"Leave her alone," Amber said sharply. "Her older sister gave her a hard time over the summer. Trust me, I was over there and got my share of it." She pulled a face. "That Petunia is such a–well, never mind." She shook her head and said to Remus, "Rem, can I talk to you for a second? In private?" She glanced at the other three boys.

"Why can't we hear?" asked Sirius, pouting. "Both of you are our friends."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Actually, never mind. I-I can't remember what I was going to say anyway. See you later." She turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"Why do girls always do that?" Sirius said. "They're always disappearing when you're just thinking about a good line to start casually flirting."

"Er, Sirius? Are you talking about Amber? As in, our friend Amber Young?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sirius's face turned crimson. "No. I didn't mean it like that. Er–I'll see you lot later," he muttered, taking off in the opposite direction of the girls.

Peter, James, and Remus rolled their eyes at each other.

**A/N: That was a snippet of them getting on Platform 9 3/4 for fourth year, in case you didn't know. James asked Lily out for the first time, Amber nearly asked Remus out, and Peter even made a small appearance, even though he didn't say anything. Click the button and review!**


	3. Fifth Year

**A/N: On to fifth year! Not much more to say, I think, except that I love everyone who reviewed! xD**

**Disclaimer: Thank you for thinking I own Harry Potter! But I don't. I only own what you don't recognize.**

"Messing up your hair because you think it's cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can– I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!" Lily turned on her heel and stormed off.

"Evans!" James shouted after her, "Hey! EVANS!" She didn't look back.

"What is it with her?" said James, trying to look as if it was a throwaway question of no importance.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited mate," said Sirius lightly.

"Right." said James, furious now, "Right…"  
There was a flash of light and Snape was once again hanging upside down in the air.

"Who wants to see me take Snivellus's pants off?"

Before James could even take another breath, a voice behind him made him wince.

"JAMES ANTHONY POTTER! PUT HIM DOWN!"

James and Sirius turned slowly around, attempting to smile at Amber Young's furious face.

"Hey, sweetie," Sirius said weakly.

"Don't you 'sweetie' me, Sirius!" Amber snapped. She glared at the crowd. "What are you looking at? Scat!" Most watchers did as they were told; the rest didn't leave until Amber pulled her wand.

James muttered the counter-curse and allowed Snape to scamper off, most likely to tell a teacher what had happened.

Amber lowered her voice so only the two boys could hear her. However, the fury didn't leave. "I told you both to leave the Slytherins alone! James, I want you and Lily to get together as much as you do, but it won't happen until you learn that showing off won't get you far! Sirius, calling me sweetie only ticks me off. I'm only your temporary girlfriend and we both know it." She rounded on Remus, who had finally looked up from his Transfiguration book and ducked behind it again as his eyes met hers. "Remus! Can you _please_ try to stop these two nitwits next time?"

Remus merely nodded slightly, not looking up. Amber sighed and turned back to Sirius and James, who were looking half-amused and half-nervous; Amber's wand was still clutched in her hand and she had cursed them numerous times before.

"Just… try not to get in any more trouble, _okay?"_ she pleaded. "I can't bear it if you lot get expelled."

James and Sirius nodded and said at the same time, "We promise."

Amber hugged both boys briefly. "Don't forget about Quidditch practice." She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe Wood is _still_ making us practice three times a week." She turned away and jogged off in the direction of her redhead best friend and her other two friends, Patty and Samantha, who were trying to get Lily to calm down.

"You can uncross your fingers now," said Remus, putting his book down. "I don't think she's going to notice."

His friends grinned, held up their hands, and uncrossed their fingers.

"She'd kill us if she knew..." James began.

"All because of her stupid cousin..." said Sirius.

"But then again-"

"we'd lose our status-"

"as great pranksters."

"So we might as well-"

"keep pranking!"

Remus and Peter sighed and shook their heads.

**A/N: So, whatcha think? Review, review, review! Next chapter will be up (hopefully) soon.**


	4. Chapter One

**A/N: On to seventh year! Yes, it's finally time for the fic. –drum roll– Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time! And my writing might get worse as time goes on. Stinking writer's block. xP And I might not be able to update as much because I go back to school on Monday. –sigh– It was a fun week off.**

**Disclaimer: As if I could write the Harry Potter books. –depressed sigh- J.K. Rowling owns everything here unless you've never read it in the books.**

"Patty, Sammy! Over here!" Amber yelled. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Patty and Samantha pushed their way through the crowd of Platform 9 ¾, trying to avoid getting stepped on and keep their cats from getting jostled too much. They finally joined Amber by the scarlet train that was the Hogwarts Express and they hugged.

"How are you guys?" Amber asked, leading them to the compartment she and Lily had already stored their stuff in. "Good summers?"

"Yeah. We bumped into each other in Paris and spent the rest of break hanging out together," Samantha said.

"I have never been to Paris before," Patty said. "It was exhilarating. The Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral..." Patty started ticking off places she had been while Amber attempted to open the door to the compartment.

"James and Sirius did something to this door, I just know it," she muttered, pushing the door as hard as she could. Eventually it unstuck and slid open. She held it while Samantha and Patty put their things up, afraid that it would stick again. It was trying to shut on its own.

"Anyone have a really thick book?" Amber panted. "We need to make sure the door doesn't shut all the way until I can track down Sirius."

Patty rifled one out of her trunk and handed it to Amber. Amber placed it, the spine of the book on the floor, against the other wall so it wouldn't shut. Amber jumped into the corridor and the door sprung forward and slammed against the book. She put her face by the crack.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Make sure at least one of you stays in here or someone might pull the book out and we'll have to unstick the door all over again." She walked down the corridor, looking in different compartments for any sign of the Marauders or Lily.

She found Remus sitting by himself in a compartment, reading. "Hey, Rem!" she said cheerfully, butterflies dancing in her stomach.

He looked up from his book and smiled at her. Amber's stomach flipped. "Hey, Amber. How are you?" he asked.

"Okay. You?"

"The same."

"Good. Do you know where I can find Gits One and Two?"

"Assuming you're talking about Sirius and James, then nope. Haven't seen them in a week. Why?"

Amber rolled her eyes. "They cast some spell on my compartment door so it keeps slamming shut and sticking. I'd get rid of the spell myself, or have Patty do it, but I don't know what spell they used," she admitted.

Remus sighed and shut his book. "I think I know. They told me about it when we were over at James's house over break. Let's go." Amber helped him stand and led him to her compartment. Samantha and Patty were chatting about France. They jumped when they heard Remus say the counter-spell, "Unstickis." **A/N: xD I'm so uncreative.**

"Thanks, Remus," Amber said gratefully, picking up the book from the floor and tossing it to Patty. She hugged him, and pulled away quickly when she heard a yell from the platform.

"Lily and James," Remus, Patty, Samantha, and Amber said at once tiredly.

"I'll see you guys later," Remus said. "Gotta read." He waved and walked off towards his own compartment.

"Liar!" Amber called after him. He grinned over his shoulder. Amber laughed but sobered quickly as Lily came stomping over to her.

"Potter is Head Boy!" she raged, throwing herself into an empty seat. "Out of all the seventh year boys, POTTER is Head Boy! How could Dumbledore do this?! Head Boy and Girl have dormitories right across from each other! I HAVE TO SLEEP ACROSS THE HALL FROM BLOODY POTTER!"

"Calm down, Lils!" Samantha said. "It's not the end of the world. Could be worse, you know."

"How could this be worse?!"

"Snape could be Head Boy and you have to share a bed with him," Amber said, grinning and sitting across from Lily.

"Guh-ross!" the other three girls said at once. They all broke into giggles.

"Hey, ladies."

"Hi, Sirius," Patty and Samantha said between giggles. Lily had started to hit Amber, who was defending herself and laughing.

"Amber, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sirius asked, looking half-amused by the fact that Lily was telling Amber to go to hell.

Amber stuck her tongue out at Lily and said, "Sure." She followed him out into the corridor and slid the door shut behind her.

"I see you got the door to quit sticking," Sirius said vaguely, looking preoccupied.

"Nah, Remus did. It was a good prank." Amber crossed her arms in front of her. "So what's up? Need to talk about your mum?"

He pulled a face. "I didn't see her all summer. I stayed at James's place. His parents didn't ask any questions; just told me that I could stay in the guest bedroom and treated me like a member of the family. They're nice folks."

"Yeah, they are. I met them at Diagon Alley before fifth year. But something tells me you wanted to talk about something bigger."

"Er–yeah. Listen, I know that this is going to sound weird, but do you think you could put in a good word for me to Melinda Waters? She's that red-haired girl in Ravenclaw." Sirius's eyes were pleading.

"'Course, Siri. Just as long as you promise one thing."

"What?"

"You have to take it slow with her. Don't try to get her in bed on the second date like you try to do with all those other girls," Amber said. "You tried with me last time, so this time you have to wait until at least the fifth date and each date has to have at least three days in between."

Sirius stuck out his lower lip. "But that's not fair! I have needs, you know. Third date? Please?" He threw his arms around Amber and pretended to cry.

She sighed. "Fourth date, then." Unwillingly, she found herself thinking, _I might just be out of it right now, but he looks really good. He's got muscle too._

Sirius released her and grinned. "Thanks, Am."

"Anytime, Siri." She disappeared back into her compartment and Sirius walked down the corridor as the train started to move. He joined Remus in his compartment and plopped into an empty seat, still grinning.

"Who are you planning to date this time?" Remus asked, not looking up from his book.

"Melinda Waters," Sirius answered, propping his feet up on the seat across from him.

Remus looked up. "The Ravenclaw?"

"The very same."

Remus shook his head and returned to his book. "Maybe you should actually try to get to know these girls _before_ you date them."

Sirius waved his hand as if to dismiss the idea. "I find out plenty on the dates. Besides, I'm not looking for anything long-term."

The compartment door slid open again and a very unhappy looking James trudged inside, stepping over Sirius's long legs. He sat down and slumped in his seat, muttering, "Why doesn't she like me?"

"Evans again?" Sirius asked, looking over at his friend. James nodded slightly. "What'd she say this time?"

"The usual. She hates me, I have a big head, I'm an arrogant toerag, ect." He sighed. "She didn't even look at me when I went to go get her so we could tell the prefects what to do."

Sirius clapped James on the back; James went flying forward and nearly fell from his chair. "Don't worry, mate. She'll come around eventually."

"But this is our last year!" James whined. "After this year, who knows when we'll see each other again!"

"You'll see each other every morning because you'll be sleeping together," Sirius quipped. Remus snorted.

**A/N: Sorry to cut this short but I've gotta get some sleep. I'll work on the next chapter, which will probably stream off of this one, tomorrow or something. Review!**


	5. Chapter Two

**A/N: This is the second part of the last chapter. I haven't slept at all, although I meant to, so this chapter is probably going to be really bad. –yawns–**

**Disclaimer: J.K.R. owns HP. Not me.**

_The compartment door slid open again and a very unhappy looking James trudged inside, stepping over Sirius's long legs. He sat down and slumped in his seat, muttering, "Why doesn't she like me?"_

_"Evans again?" Sirius asked, looking over at his friend. James nodded slightly. "What'd she say this time?"_

_"The usual. She hates me, I have a big head, I'm an arrogant toerag, ect." He sighed. "She didn't even look at me when I went to go get her so we could tell the prefects what to do."_

_Sirius clapped James on the back; James went flying forward and nearly fell from his chair. "Don't worry, mate. She'll come around eventually."_

_"But this is our last year!" James whined. "After this year, who knows when we'll see each other again!"_

_"You'll see each other every morning because you'll be sleeping together," Sirius quipped. Remus snorted._

"I'll never get her that far," James said, grinning weakly.

"Bet you could if you knew what you were doing," Sirius challenged.

"Hey! I know what I'm doing!"

Sirius raised his eyes to the ceiling. "_Outside_ of bed, Prongs. You'll never get her to date you because you _are_ arrogant, big-headed, a toerag…"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Remus muttered, turning a page in his book.

Sirius grinned. "Point is, Prongs, you have to shape up and get a girl to put in a good word for you. A girl who is close to Evans and would do that for you."

James groaned and sunk lower in his chair. "Great. I just had to pick the girl who is only really close with –" His eyes light up. "I have an idea."

"Oh Merlin. Just when my novel was getting good, too," Remus complained, marking his page and shutting the book. But he looked somewhat interested with James's idea.

"Well, Prongsie-poo?" Sirius prompted. "What's the master plan?"

"Padfoot, I need you to ask out Amber."

Sirius fell out of his seat. "Say what?" he asked incredulously, standing back up. "You mean honorary Marauder Amber Young? As in, the same girl I asked to put in a good word for me to Melinda Waters?"

"Just temporarily!" James reassured him. "Hear me out. The way I see it, if you and Amber start to date, she'll make you sound less like a jerk. She mostly talks to Evans! I mean, Lily! If _you_ sound less like a jerk, maybe Lily will think _I'm_ not so bad!"

"I don't think this'll work," Remus said doubtfully. "Amber would never go out with Padfoot. Besides, what about his sleeping-with-all-his-girlfriends thing? He's slept with half the female population."

"I could get her in bed easy," Sirius said crossly. "Not counting last year, when she rejected me, I'm sure she's dying to sleep with someone. She never has before. I think. Has she?" He looked from Remus to James.

James shrugged but Remus said reluctantly, "She has. Over summer break."

James and Sirius stared at him until James finally managed to say, "How do you know that?"

"Because she slept with me," Remus muttered, looking at the ground and his cheeks turning red.

Sirius and James grinned identical grins and congratulated Remus, who kept turning redder.

"Well, now that we know that Moony has gotten lucky, then I think we might be able to pull off Prongs's plan…" Sirius said.

**A/N: And so the plot begins. :) A little more behind why Amber and Remus 'did the deed' in later chapters.**


	6. Chapter Three

**A/N: Thanks to all of my luffly reviewers! You all rock for sticking by me through all these chapters. It's been a hard time, I know, but you guys continue to read. –sniffle– Thank you so much! –cries– I'm going to do a recap thing for each chapter so all of the wonderful reviewers know where we are and so _I_ know while I'm typing without going and checking the last chapter again and again.**

**Disclaimer: If I could write as well as J.K. Rowling, I wouldn't get so choked up that people actually read what I write. :) So clearly I'm not Ms. Rowling.**

_"Just temporarily!" James reassured him. "Hear me out. The way I see it, if you and Amber start to date, she'll make you sound less like a jerk. She mostly talks to Evans! I mean, Lily! If you sound less like a jerk, maybe Lily will think I'm not so bad!"_

_"I don't think this'll work," Remus said doubtfully. "Amber would never go out with Padfoot. Besides, what about his sleeping-with-all-his-girlfriends thing? He's slept with half the female population."_

_"I could get her in bed easy," Sirius said crossly. "Not counting last year, when she rejected me, I'm sure she's dying to sleep with someone. She never has before. I think. Has she?" He looked from Remus to James._

_James shrugged but Remus said reluctantly, "She has. Over summer break."_

_James and Sirius stared at him until James finally managed to say, "How do you know that?"_

_"Because she slept with me," Remus muttered, looking at the ground and his cheeks turning red._

_Sirius and James grinned identical grins and congratulated Remus, who kept turning redder._

_"Well, now that we know that Moony has gotten lucky, then I think we might be able to pull off Prongs's plan…" Sirius said._

_------------------------------_

The Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop many hours later, long after it was dark. It started to rain as students ran towards the seemingly horseless carriages or to Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper. James and Lily disappeared to help get students off the train without hurting each other.

"Here, Amber," Sirius said, opening an umbrella and walking closely to her.

"Thanks, Sirius," she said.

Sirius casually draped his arm over her shoulders. "I was thinking. Maybe I shouldn't go out with Melinda."

"Okay," she said slowly. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to get him to remove his arm. He did, and instead put his arm around her waist.

"Yeah, it'd just turn into another two week fling and I'll be back to where I am now: dateless." He grinned but the grin disappeared quickly. "I was thinking about getting into a serious relationship. You know, with someone that's more than a pretty face. Someone I actually know." He glanced at her. "Any ideas?"

"If you're even _thinking_ of asking me–" Amber started.

"Why shouldn't I?" he asked, opening the door to a carriage. He followed her inside, and Remus, Patty, and Samantha, who were pretending to be engaged in a conversation about the Eiffel Tower but actually listening, followed him.

"Because we're just friends," she pointed out.

"All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand," Sirius replied in a singsong voice.

"And why me all of a sudden?" she snapped.

"I dunno. Just sort of came to me." He glanced over at Remus and Amber gasped.

"Remus! Did you– I mean– How could you tell him?" she wailed. "You said you wouldn't tell anyone about that!"

Remus looked guilty and sputtered, "I didn't mean– Honestly, Amber– It's not like– Don't give me that look!" He closed his eyes for a moment. "Did you honestly expect to keep that a secret forever? It's not like the whole school knows or anything… Please don't look at me like that!"

"I can't believe you! _I_ didn't tell anyone because I thought _you_ wouldn't tell anyone that we fricking slept together!" she yelled. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Samantha and Patty gasped.

"Well, now that the cat is out of the bag," Sirius said cheerfully, "anything else you'd like to shout to the rest of Hogwarts, Am?"

"Shut up and leave me alone," Amber muttered, sliding down in her seat and crossing her arms.

* * *

Lily and James followed their friends into the Great Hall, bickering.

"You have _got_ to shape up and live up to your responsibility, Potter!"

"Well, forgive _me_, Miss Perfect Head Girl Evans, for not taking away that Dungbomb and depriving a poor boy from a good prank against the Slytherins!"

"It's _your_ fault he thought it was funny in the first place because you went and _told_ him to throw it into the carriage!"

"Well, it was funny…"

Lily threw her hands into the air. "Just forget it. Do whatever you want; but when you get expelled, don't come crying to me."

"I'd _like_ to do whatever I want, but unfortunately there are problems…" James said, looking her up and down.

"You're a pig, you know that?" Lily shoved him, making him fall into a chair next to Sirius. Startled, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him and she ended up on his lap.

"Now, Evans, is this so bad?" he asked her, grinning.

She found herself thinking, _no, it really isn't,_ but she'd rather swallow broken glass than admit it, so she said, "Yes, it is. Let me go."

James released her wrist, smirking now, and she stalked off to sit next to Amber who was sitting next to Samantha, who was sitting next to Patty, who was sitting next to Remus. He swung around in his chair to find Sirius attempting to get Remus to talk.

"What's up with him?" James asked, nodding towards Remus.

"Amber knows that we know, and Patty and Samantha know what we know, and Remus knows he shouldn't have told us, and we both know that Amber is mad at us," Sirius said matter-of-factly.

As James tried to work out what he said, Remus said sullenly, "She must hate me now."

"Aw, come on, mate. 'Course she doesn't hate you," James said.

Remus looked up at James with dull eyes, his face looking more pale than usual. "I slept with her and told her it meant nothing. She didn't hate me then, but she does now."

"She can't hate-" James was cut off by the arrival of the first years, drenched with rain.

The first years were all shivering and looking around the hall. Some of them were pointing and whispering, while others looked partly bored. All of them, no matter how hard they tried to hide it, looked nervous.

Professor McGonagall brought out a four-legged stool and put the Sorting Hat on top of it. All whispers stopped almost immediatly as the hat opened its mouth and started to sing.

**(A/N: Okay, my sister is in another state and has all five of my books so just pretend the song is there, please. I can't write one even if I had my books to help me.)**

The students clapped and McGonagall started calling out names.

"Abbot, Maria!"

A small girl walked nervously up and glanced at the Hufflepuff table. A seventh year boy, her brother probably, gave her a thumbs up and a smile. Maria Abbot looked a little calmer and put the Sorting Hat on her head. A few silent moments and-

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat yelled.

The Hufflepuff table started to clap and cheer. Maria Abbot sat next to the boy who had given her a thumbs up and they hugged.

More students got called (including Samantha's sister, Stephanie, who got Sorted into Gryffindor) and James glanced at Remus's watch. They were nearly finished with the Sorting, then Dumbledore usually gave a speech. James's stomach rumbled.

Finally, the last student was Sorted (Slytherin) and Dumbledore stood, smiling at everyone. "Welcome, welcome, everyone! I'm glad to see all of your faces in this hall. Now I understand that you are all hungry, although I'm sure some of you stuffed yourselves with candy on the train." His blue eyes twinkled. "So I will wait until after you've had a proper meal to bore you. Tuck in!" As he sat down, the platters on each table filled with food. The first years who had no older siblings or were Muggle-born gasped.

"I propose a toast," Samantha said after filling her plate. "For us seventh years."

The other seventh year Gryffindors looked at each other, save Remus and Amber.

Samantha continued. "This toast will go to the best year of our Hogwarts years."

"To never having to put up with my cousin again," Amber added, shuddering and thinking about how he had used her as a punching bag last year and over the summer.

"To another year of winning the Quidditch Cup!" Sirius said.

"To new relationships," James piped up, looking directly at Lily. Lily rolled her eyes and said, "To trying _not_ to get expelled."

"To passing N.E.W.T.s," Remus said.

"To remembering all past years together and planning out our futures the best we can," Patty said.

"To us," Samantha concluded. She raised her glass of pumpkin juice and the others did as well.

They clinked their glasses together and said as one, "To us!" before breaking into laughter.

**A/N: You might want to remember what Amber said before. No, I will not tell you why. :) Review!**


	7. Chapter Four

A/N: Not much to say, really, except thanks for the reviews!

**Systamatic, what she meant was she as only dating Sirius for a short time while he was in between girlfriends. They just date on and off when they have nothing better to do. It doesn't mean anything. That explain it? Or are you even more confused? LoL. **

_"I propose a toast," Samantha said after filling her plate. "For us seventh years."_

_The other seventh year Gryffindors looked at each other, save Remus and Amber._

_Samantha continued. "This toast will go to the best year of our Hogwarts years."_

_"To never having to put up with my cousin again," Amber added, shuddering and thinking about how he had used her as a punching bag last year and over the summer._

_"To another year of winning the Quidditch Cup!" Sirius said._

_"To new relationships," James piped up, looking directly at Lily. Lily rolled her eyes and said, "To trying not to get expelled."_

_"To passing N.E.W.T.s," Remus said._

_"To remembering all past years together and planning out our futures the best we can," Patty said._

_"To us," Samantha concluded. She raised her glass of pumpkin juice and the others did as well._

_They clinked their glasses together and said as one, "To us!" before breaking into laughter._

_-----------------------_

By dessert, Remus and Amber still hadn't spoken a word to each other. Lily attempted several times to get the both of them to talk, but she hadn't made any success. After a while, Samantha took pity on her and told her what had happened in the carriage in a whisper. Lily's eyes opened wide and she looked from Remus to Amber to Samantha. She whispered something back and Samantha nodded. Lily broke into a fit of giggles and started talking to Amber in a whisper.

"So, what did you do over summer, everyone?" Sirius said jovially, earning glares from Amber and Remus. He flashed an innocent grin at Remus and winked at Amber.

"Went to Paris, bumped into Patty there, had fun, and spent the rest of summer hanging out," Samantha mumbled through a mouthful of pudding.

"Played Quidditch and sent letters off to Lily Flower over there," James said, inclining his head towards Lily.

"Sent Howlers to the twit because he wouldn't quit owling me and worked at The Leaky Cauldron," Lily said with barely concealed disgust as she said 'twit' and 'he'. She turned away from James and continued her conversation with Amber.

Sirius made another brave, and rather stupid, attempt to get everyone talking. "I suppose we all know about Remus and Amber shagging each other?" he said.

"SIRIUS BRYAN BLACK!" Amber screamed, jumping up. "SHUT UP FOR ONCE IN YOUR DAMN LIFE!" Everyone turned to stare at her but she ignored them.

"Amber, dearest, you're making a scene," Sirius pointed out.

"I DON'T CARE! JUST SHUT UP ABOUT STUFF YOU DON'T KNOW ALL THE DETAILS TO!" she screeched. "DON'T BRING THAT UP AGAIN! _EVER!"_ She stormed out of the Great Hall.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the hall. Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly and stood.

"Er, yes. I think maybe now would be a good time for that speech," he said. "Remember, only third years and above may visit Hogsmeade, and don't go into the Forbidden Forest. Quidditch tryouts are posted inside your common rooms. Everyone, remember that you need to act with extreme caution inside and outside of Hogwarts while Lord Voldemort" –there was a shudder from many students–"is still powerful and at large. The Head Boy and Girl this year are James Potter and Lily Evans." His lips twitched upward as many students turned around to stare at the two Gryffindors, mouths open wide. "Off to bed!"

Lily, Patty, and Samantha dashed out of the Great Hall, heading for Gryffindor tower. They found Amber pleading unsuccessfully with the Fat Lady to let her into the common room without the password.

"Draco levisomnus," Lily panted.

"Correct," the Fat Lady said. The portrait swung forward and Amber ran inside and into the girls' dormitory without so much as a glance at her friends. Samantha and Patty went in after her, and Lily was about to when a hand was placed firmly around her wrist.

"Lily dearest, Heads have their own dormitories," James said, gently dragging her towards an extra staircase.

Lily sent a look at Patty that clearly said, "Save me!" but Patty just grinned at her and continued up to the girls' dormitory. Ooh, she was so going to pay later.

"Let go of me, Potter," Lily snapped, trying to get her hand back.

"No way," he replied cheerily. "I don't want to risk you going and bunking with your friends. Nope, you have to sleep in the Head Girl's room."

_Damn Potter and Quidditch_, Lily thought, still trying to get her hand out of his grasp. Although he was being gentle, she still couldn't get him to let go. James led her into her room and finally released her.

"Have wonderful dreams, Lily Flower. I will because you'll be in them," he said, closing the door on his way out, pausing long enough to shoot her a grin and a wink.

"Don't call me that!" she shouted at the closed door. She heard him laugh and shut his own door.

Lily let out a sigh of frustration and got ready to go to bed.

* * *

In the girls' dormitory, Patty and Samantha weren't having a lot of luck getting Amber to talk. 

"What's wrong, Amber?" Patty tried again.

"Shut up and leave me alone," Amber grumbled, yanking the hangings shut around her bed.

"C'mon, Amber, you and Remus sleeping together isn't that bad," Samantha said.

Amber pulled the hangings back just enough to glare at Samantha. "Sammy, Patty, just _shut up."_ She yanked the hangings closed again.

Sam and Patty sighed and climbed into their own beds.

* * *

In the boys' dormitory, things weren't much better. 

"Is she any good?" Sirius asked Remus.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said dully, pulling off his shirt.

"So it was bad?"

"No."

"I knew it! I knew she couldn't be that bad in bed!" Sirius said triumphantly, punching the air. "She's got too much sass to be bad."

Remus sighed. "Would you just shut up?"

"Do I ever?" Sirius shot back, grinning hugely and climbing into his bed.

Remus mumbled something incoherent and yanked the hangings shut around his bed, ignoring Sirius's laughter.

****

**A/N: Amber and Remus are feeling a little...frustrated at the moment, as you can tell. Like I said in Chapter Two, you'll find out more about why Remus and Amber 'shagged' as Sirius so gently put it. :) If you have any questions about anything in my fic, just ask in your reviews and I'll answer you in the next chapter. But I won't answer every single review because I hate writing long Author Notes. Review, please!**

**P.S. I'm going to say now, after this chapter and Sirius tries harder to get Amber to go out with him so they can pull of James's plan, there might be more mention of sex and possibly a sex scene. Nothing too graphic, mind you, but I just thought I'd warn you way ahead of time so you can stop reading now. If you want to rant and rage at me for telling you this now, go ahead.**


	8. Chapter Five

**A/N: Again, not much to say. But I'm going to wait about two weeks before updating this fic from now on. Maybe quicker if I get more reviews. : ) And instead of writing Samantha all the time, I'm just going to call her Sam.**

_"Have wonderful dreams, Lily Flower. I will because you'll be in them," James said, closing the door on his way out, pausing long enough to shoot her a grin and a wink._

_"Don't call me that!" she shouted at the closed door. She heard him laugh and shut his own door._

_Lily let out a sigh of frustration and got ready to go to bed._

_

* * *

_

_In the girls' dormitory, Patty and Samantha weren't having a lot of luck getting Amber to talk. _

_"What's wrong, Amber?" Patty tried again._

_"Shut up and leave me alone," Amber grumbled, yanking the hangings shut around her bed._

_"C'mon, Amber, you and Remus sleeping together isn't that bad," Samantha said._

_Amber pulled the hangings back just enough to glare at Samantha. "Sammy, Patty, just shut up." She yanked the hangings closed again._

_Sam and Patty sighed and climbed into their own beds._

_

* * *

_

_In the boys' dormitory, things weren't much better. _

_"Is she any good?" Sirius asked Remus._

_"I don't want to talk about it," he said dully, pulling off his shirt._

_"So it was bad?"_

_"No."_

_"I knew it! I knew she couldn't be that bad in bed!" Sirius said triumphantly, punching the air. "She's got too much sass to be bad."_

_Remus sighed. "Would you just shut up?"_

_"Do I ever?" Sirius shot back, grinning hugely and climbing into his bed._

_Remus mumbled something incoherent and yanked the hangings shut around his bed, ignoring Sirius's laughter._

---------------------------------

"Amber, wake up," Sam said, pulling the covers off of the still-sleeping girl.

"Go away and let me die," Amber muttered, placing her head underneath her pillow.

Patty and Sam exchanged glances, pulled out their wands, said a spell, and cold water poured onto Amber's back.

She shrieked and rolled over, landing on the floor. "What in the bloody hell was that for?" she asked furiously.

"You have an hour before classes," Patty reminded her, quickly following Sam into the common room before Amber could get her wand.

Cursing everyone she could think of while still groggy, Amber slowly dressed and went downstairs, yawning. She was in mid-yawn when someone crashed into her.

"Ow! Hey, watch where you're going, you stupid, fricking– Remus!" Amber said quickly, blushing like mad. "Er– sorry about the names. Must we bump into each other every year?" She grinned awkwardly as they tried to disentangle themselves while trying to touch the other as little as possible.

"It's a curse," Remus said, helping her up and grinning back. "Every year on the first day we have to start with a bump on the head to wake us both up." They laughed and left the common room.

"So, ah, sleep well, Am?" Remus asked nervously.

"Yeah…I finally figured out how to get rid of Patty's snoring problem without her knowing about it." She kept her gaze on the ground. "You?"

"Besides the fact that Sirius kept talking to me? Great." He grimaced. "He's getting really annoying, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Why is he asking me out anyway? I mean, we used to date on and off but his sudden interest in getting into a serious relationship with me is sort of freaky."

"Oh. Um…" Remus racked his brains, trying to think of something to tell her. "Well, James and I always thought he liked you more than he would admit so we finally made him admit it."

Amber looked up at him, trying to decipher if he was lying to her or not. His expression didn't give away anything to say he was lying so she decided he was telling the truth. "What do you think I should do?" she asked.

"Go out with him."

"But I don't like him that way!"

Remus shrugged. "Go out with him anyway." They took seats opposite of each other at the Gryffindor table. "Maybe you'll start to like him."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for a serious relationship. It's just...not a good time."

He looked up sharply. "Did Cory do something to you after…well, you know."

She bit her lip. "Not really. Well, kind of. I took your advice and kept away from him as much as I could. But he came to Chloe's three days ago, drunk again. I was alone in the house and he hit me in the side before I could Disapparate." She sighed. "I don't know what to do anymore, Rem. He's joining the Death Eaters soon, I just know it. He's like some big shadow hanging over my life."

Remus reached out and covered Amber's hand with his own. He smiled gently at her. "Am, you know that you've always got your friends behind you."

Amber smiled back. "Thanks."

Just then, Lily and James showed up, arguing…as usual.

"You should have knocked, Potter!" Lily said furiously. "But no, you just barged in without even _thinking._"

"Well sorry, Evans! How many times do I have to apologize? _I'm sorry."_

"What's up, you two?" Amber asked casually, taking her hand away from Remus's.

"Potter came into my room while I was getting dressed!" Lily said, blushing.

"Nice knickers, by the way," James said, grinning.

Amber seized Lily's wrists so she couldn't dump a bowl of porridge on James. "What's the big deal, Lils? I've walked in on James getting dressed before, Sirius getting dressed before…I think that's it." She shuddered. "I've been scarred ever since."

"You forget about Re–" Remus clapped a hand over James's mouth and hissed, "Shut it. We're trying not to talk about it."

Amber pretended not to hear them as she finished her breakfast. She received her schedule from Professor McGonagall and checked her first class. "Dammit! I've got Potions first! Just what I wanted to do every Monday, and Friday, morning; look at Professor Narley's face." She looked over the rest of her schedule and brightened somewhat. "At least I've got Defense Against the Dark Arts every day, Charms after Defense on Tuesday and Thursday, and Transfiguration every day." She punched the air. "Fantastic!"

"Cool. We've got a bunch of classes together," Sirius said from above Amber. He took the seat next to her. "See?"

Amber groaned. "Maybe not so fantastic. I'll see you lot later." She picked up her bag and hurried away.

"What's her problem?" Sirius asked Remus, since James was still trying to apologize to Lily and she kept telling him how much of a jerk he was for not knocking.

"Amber's problem? You," Remus answered simply.

"Well, actually I was talking about Evans but since Amber has a problem with me, do tell," Sirius said, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

"Well, Prongs walked in on Lily while she was getting dressed," Remus said. Sirius nearly spit out his orange juice. "And Amber's problem is the fact that she's a little freaked that you suddenly want a serious relationship with her."

"Did you say Prongs walked in on _Evans_ in her knickers?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Make up your mind, Padfoot. Do you want to hear about Amber or Lily?" Remus asked, exasperated. "And Lily does have a first name, you know."

"Whatever. Tell me about Amber."

"Well, she said that she's a little hesitant to get into a relationship with you, she doesn't like you in _that_ way, I expect she's a little confused because she and I–"

"–shagged until you couldn't walk," Sirius interjected.

Remus glared at him and continued. "And then we agreed it wasn't supposed to happen –"

Sirius interrupted him again. "How did you two end up in bed anyway?"

**FLASHBACK:**

Remus sat in the living room of Sirius's home, reading a Muggle novel he had picked up earlier that week. School had been out for two weeks and already he had completed all of his homework when he wasn't hanging out with James and Sirius. Peter was always saying he was too busy to get together with his friends. Sirius was staying with James's family for the week and had asked Remus to watch his place for him. Remus had, of course, obliged.

Remus shut his book just as the doorbell rang. He grabbed his wand and answered the door. "Amber! What's wrong?" he asked, stepping out of the way and letting her in.

Amber wiped away a few tears and looked Remus in the face. A bruise was forming slowly under her right eye. "M-My cousin a-and I had a f-f-fight," she choked out.

"Go sit down and I'll get some ice." Remus guided her to the couch and rushed to the kitchen and filled a plastic bag with ice. He went back into the living room and handed her the bag.

"Thanks, R-Rem," she stammered, putting the ice to her eye. Remus noticed her hands were shaking.

"Here," he said gently. He held the bag for her and asked, "What happened?"

"I-I've been staying with Chloe, m-my step-sister, and Chris, her husband, a-and Cory came over while I-I was alone. And we started t-to argue over something really stupid a-and he just p-punched me r-right in the eye. I-I Apparated out of there a-and went to your house, but your f-folks said you were staying with S-Sirius so I-I came here." She looked around with her eyes. "Where is he?"

"He's staying with James," Remus said gently, putting the bag down. "He'll be over there the rest of the week. Why'd you go to my house?"

Amber shrugged and tried to take a deep breath to calm down. "You're a great guy and I knew you'd keep this a secret." She eyed him hopefully. "You _will_ keep this a secret, right?"

"If you want me to," he answered honestly. She smiled and wiped away her tears. "Thanks, Remus."

They hugged each other for a few moments before turning their faces to look at each other. A second later, they kissed gently, but it grew in passion. Somehow, they would never really remember how, they ended up upstairs in one of the guest bedrooms.

**END FLASHBACK**

"We just did, okay?" Remus snapped irritably. "I'm going to Potions." He picked up his bag and left the Great Hall.

"Touchy," Sirius muttered. He turned to watch Lily and James argue about something that had happened in fifth year.

**A/N: Okay, that was a crappy chapter, but I'm tired because of it being Election Week and I've been typing this while keeping an eye on the news during speeches and stuff and I've got loads of homework. More might be added to the flashback later/flashbacks going further forward or backward in time. Review, please!**


	9. Chapter Six

**A/N: I swear to you, I really did mean to have this up a lot sooner. Honestly and truly, I did. But when I was this close to finishing the chapter )holds thumb and index finger a centimeter away from each other( someone deleted my file. I think it was one of my siblings because my parents wouldn't delete something of mine unless I gave them permission. But my sister and brother swear that they didn't delete it so I guess it might have been an accident.**

**IMPORTANT:  
****I know I said I don't like writing long Author Notes, and I don't, but this one will be slightly long. It's about the number of reviews I've gotten. Twenty. Eight chapters, twenty reviews. That's an average of 2.5 per chapter (okay, I know it's impossible to get .5 reviews but you get the picture). While I love the fact I'm getting _any_ reviews, more would be great. There are some reviewers who have given me feedback on every chapter, like allie and Dans-girl-4ever, but then there's some who haven't reviewed for a while. I love you guys, really I do! But constructive criticism, ideas/suggestions, etc. would be so awesome. I really want to improve my writing and make sure you guys are getting the best story you can get. And to everyone who is reading but hasn't reviewed, please review!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. :-(**

_Remus glared at him and continued. "And then we agreed it wasn't supposed to happen –"_

_Sirius interrupted him again. "How did you two end up in bed anyway?"_

…………………

_"We just did, okay?" Remus snapped irritably. "I'm going to Potions." He picked up his bag and left the Great Hall._

_"Touchy," Sirius muttered. He turned to watch Lily and James argue about something that had happened in fifth year._

----------------------------------

Friday after Transfiguration found Hogwarts favorite students, the Marauders, at Care of Magical Creatures. Sirius and James, of course, were goofing off by dancing around while the girls in the class giggled and blushed whenever one of them would wink.

Two girls weren't laughing, and guess who they are? Amber and Lily. Unfortunately, Sam didn't like animals and Patty didn't want to be separated from her best friend, so they both signed up for Divination and not Care of Magical Creatures. They were actually quite good at tea leaves and such.

"Come, Lily! Dance with us!" James called, hooking arms with Sirius and skipping in a circle. He held out his hand to her but she didn't take it.

"Dear Amber, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" Sirius asked, spinning away from James, bowing in front of her, and pulling her in the circle of students watching without waiting for an answer.

Amber laughed as Sirius spun her. "Remind you to whack you later for this!" she said.

He twirled her again and then hugged her to his chest, now slowly revolving on the spot. "You have to kiss me first," he whispered in her ear.

Amber's breath caught in her throat and she had to control the urge to look at him to decide if he was being honest or not. She kept her head on his chest and allowed him to spin them around slowly. Was it just her, or did his heartbeat quicken for a few moments?

"Okay, class, break up the act," wheezed Professor Kettleburn, pausing to take a breath. He had just ran from the school out to the paddocks. "Time for class."

Amber quickly left Sirius and joined Lily, while Sirius sidled over to James, who was looking disappointed, and Remus, who had a half amused look on his face.

"What'd she say this time?" Sirius muttered to Remus.

"That she wouldn't dance with him because"–Remus cleared his throat and tried to imitate Lily–"I hate you, James Ian Potter, and I value my toes!"

Sirius sniggered. "I wouldn't dance with him either, if I were her. He _does_ seem to step on people's toes too much."

"Would you two shut up?" James muttered, his ears bright red. "You're not helping. Besides, the longer she keeps this up, the longer Sirius has to be interested in Amber."

"Potter, Black, Lupin! Is there something you would like to share?" Kettleburn barked. The middle-aged man took a step closer to them, trying to look intimidating but failing miserably. The balding man just didn't look scary.

"Well, sir, we were discussing how bad James's dancing is and how much he likes Lily and I like Amber," Sirius said, grinning. He winked at Amber, who seemed to shrink under everyone's stares.

Kettleburn said, "Ten points from Gryffindor for talking out of turn. Please pay attention, boys, because I have something very important to tell you." He faced the rest of the class. "Professor Dumbledore asked me to set up a little project for each of you to do. You may refuse to do it if you wish, but if you do, you must write a paper on a certain topic which is to be chosen." He cleared his throat. "The project is: go into the Forbidden Forest for one weekend with three of your classmates, who will be chosen by me." A lot of students exchanged nervous looks and their faces clearly expressed their wish to write a paper. "This is to learn how to deal with various situations, learn spells, and learn about different creatures habitats.

"I have chosen the first group to go in tonight. I feel that they will not let me down." A few students started to raise their hands so Kettleburn said quickly, "If it's about safety, do not worry. Our gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, has gone into the forest and asked a few magical creatures to keep an eye on you. Hagrid himself will be keeping an eye on the forest. If anyone is in danger, just send up red sparks and keep sending them until he finds you. He is in there right now putting up signs that you _must not stray past. _Even with creatures and Hagrid watching, we cannot entirely garantee that you won't get hurt if you're not in a section where we can easily find you.

"Now it's time for groups. There will be two girls and two boys." Kettleburn looked over his glasses at them. "I expect you all to be on your best behavior and not do anything we'd be ashamed of." He looked at a piece of parchment he had gotten out of his robes."Tonight's group will be...Black and Potter." The two boys grinned at each other. "And...Evans and Young." He put away the parchment and looked at the four. "You're to report back here after dinner. I really didn't have a chance to plan a lesson for today, and I doubt anyone would pay attention anyway, so just talk."

Instantly the class broke up into little groups of students talking about the project. Sirius and James strolled over to Lily and Amber while Remus joined a group of Ravenclaw boys.

"An entire weekend to ourselves. This ought to be fantastic," James said, putting his hand on Lily's shoulder and squeezing it gently. "Just you, me, and the stars, Lils."

"Let me check hell's weather report first. If it's frozen over I'll consider being with just you and the stars," she snapped, pulling out of his grip. "Don't touch me. At all. All weekend. The only reason I'm going is because I have enough work to do without writing a paper."

"Now really, Lils, you shouldn't be so sour. It'll be fun. I promise." He crossed his heart with his finger.

"Now I feel better," Lily said sarcastically, leaving James and going to go save Amber from Sirius's pleas to go out with him.

* * *

"It's creepy out here," Amber repeated for the fifth time since they left the castle. James, Sirius, Lily, and Amber were waiting at the edge of the forest for Hagrid. "I don't like this." 

"Don't worry, babe. You'll be fine with us." Sirius grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Merlin help us," she pleaded, looking up at the star-filled sky. "Please don't leave Lily and me with these idiots."

"Don't worry 'bout them, Amber," said Hagrid, emerging from the forest and brushing dirt off himself. "They've been in here 'fore. Though they're not 'posed to." He gave the boys a look and they grinned.

"We'll keep the girls safe from any danger, Hagrid." James attempted to hold Lily's hand again. "They'll come out of here pretty as the roses they are."

"Even roses 'ave thorns," Hagrid reminded him, his great beard twitching as he watched the dirty look Lily was giving James. "I'm actually a little more concerned about yer health if ya try anythin' with these two." He looked at the two girls. "Jus' whack 'em over the head with a rock if hormones get to 'em." His eyes twinkled and he said gruffly, "Well, let's go. Sooner yer in, sooner yer out."

Hagrid led them into the Forbidden Forest, keeping up a steady stream of chatter with James and Sirius about Quidditch tactics while Lily and Amber kept as close to them as possible so they wouldn't get too messy. Although neither cared terribly about how they looked, there was a fine line between being in the castle and not having their hair tied in a perfect ponytail and being in the forest without the comforts of home.

"This is where I leave ya," Hagrid said, stopping in a small clearing. "'Member, jus' keep sending up red sparks an' I'll come an' find ya. _Don't go past the signs 'til I come ta get ya._ You 'ave 'bout 500 yards in every direction from this spot. Here's all the stuff you need." Hagrid pulled out four miniature backpacks. "Jus' enlarge 'em and you'll find yer stuff. See ya Sunday night." He turned around and ambled out of the Forbidden Forest.

"Well, I guess we find somewhere to sleep," said James,digging through his enlarged backpack. "I don't see a tent in here. Let's go cave-hunting."

"A cave?" Lily blinked. "A cave?! Two nights with _you_ in a _cave?!_ No way!"

"I agree with her!" Amber said quickly when Sirius opened his mouth to say something. "I don't think I could spend two nights with Sirius in a cave without fearing my virtue."

"What virtue?" muttered James, earning a smack across the face from Amber.

Sirius sighed and stepped in betwen the three."How about this. If James or I try to shag either of you, you two can castrate us slowly and kill us afterward."

"Hmmm...Okay," said Lily.

"Okay," Amber said a little more reluctantly.

"Good. Let's go," he said, picking up all four backpacks after James had made them all small again.

"At least Hagrid was nice enough to make our backpacks pink and the boys' blue," Amber murmured to Lily, trailing behind the boys.

"I just can't believe we're stuck in the same outfit all weekend," Lily grumbled. "I hope there's a stream around here or we'll stink really bad."

"Hey, girls! There's a hill of rocks up ahead, and we see a cave at the top. You wanna go up there?" James called over his shoulder.

"Does it look empty, James?" Amber inquired.

"Yeah. And it's within the signs, Lily Flower," he added.

"How does he know when I'm about to ask something?" Lily muttered. Neither girl could help from giggling. She calmed down a little and said, "Let's go there."

When they reached the rocks James asked, "Don't take this the wrong way, Lily, but do you think you can climb that? I mean, we can because we've been playing Quidditch for years but you..."

"I can do it," Lily said defensively. "Just...make sure I don't look down."

"Right-o then. Let's start climbing. Amber, you and I can go up first since we probably have more muscle than them. If they slip, we grab an arm," said Sirius, tossing two of the backpacks to Amber.

"Hi ho, hi ho, off to climb rocks we go," Amber sang. She and Sirius started to climb.

"You know how to climb, right?" James asked Lily.

"Um...No."

"Okay then. Here's what you do. First, you check your handhold. After you grab it, wiggle your hand a little to make sure the rock won't fall on your head after you pull. Then carefully put your foot on a rock. Just ask if you need help."

"Yippee," Lily muttered under her breath as they started climbing.

"How are you two doing?" Sirius called down.

"We're okay!" James called back.

"My arms are killing me," Lily grumbled after about an hour or so. "Any place we can stop?"

"Yeah. At the top," James gasped. Although he would, of course, never admit it, he was starting to get tired as well. "Need any help?"

She paused and bit her lip as she tested her handhold. It didn't wiggle so she pulled herself up. "No, I'm fine," she lied. She put her foot on a rock and leaned against the rocks to catch her breath. "Just tired."

He climbed down a few rocks so he could look her in the eye. "Lily, climb onto my back and I'll carry us both up."

"No, really.I'm fine," she insisted.

"Lily, just climb onto my back. I swear you'll be okay." He grinned. "I've had all my shots."

She allowed herself to smile a little bit. "Fine. But don't make anything of it." She forced herself to let go of the rocks and wrapped her arms around James's neck. She gulped and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Hold on tight and don't look down. I really don't need to be suffocated if you start to freak out. And don't fall asleep either because then you might slip." He looked at her over his shoulder. "You ready?"

Lily managed to nod and burrowed her face into James's neck.

**A/N: Okay! End of this chapter. I really wanteed it to be longer but I haven't updated in such a long time I decided I'd just send this bit in. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I _really_ hope you'll send me a review with all thoughts. Thank you!**


	10. Chapter Seven

**A/N: I have finally updated! Huzzah! Sorry about taking so long. .' Damned writer's block. Thanks much for the reviews! Here are my replies to questions. **

**The ORIGINAL Meathead****:Most ofy our questions are answered in this chapter and others will be ansered in the next chappie or two. **)

**Silver-Silhouette6: There are a lot of scenes with J/L only coming up. I'd like to answer your other questions but I can't because I have a grand master plan, which cannot be revealed. It includes sequels, maybe a prequel, and maybe a one-shot in the future. **

**Disclaimer: I admit it! I own Harry Potter! I'm the great J.K. Rowling! --is surrounded by rabid J.K. fans holding sticks-- I-I mean, I'm only a silly fan of her. Heehee. --sweat drop-- Bye! --runs away and is chased by the rabid J.K. fans--**

_He climbed down a few rocks so he could look her in the eye. "Lily, climb onto my back and I'll carry us both up." _

_"No, really. I'm fine," she insisted. _

_"Lily, just climb onto my back. I swear you'll be okay." He grinned. "I've had all my shots." _

_She allowed herself to smile a little bit. "Fine. But don't make anything of it." She forced herself to let go of the rocks and wrapped her arms around James's neck. She gulped and wrapped her legs around his waist. _

_"Hold on tight and don't look down. I really don't need to be suffocated if you start to freak out. And don't fall asleep either because then you might slip." He looked at her over his shoulder. "You ready?" _

_Lily managed to nod and burrowed her face into James's neck. _

-------------

"So, Amber, how long have you liked Remus?" Sirius asked suddenly. Silence had fallen over those two, while it sounded like Lily and James were keeping up a steady stream of chatter between themselves. James was climbing a little slower, seeing as he was still carrying Lily.

Amber lost her grip on her handhold and her fingernails scrabbled against rock until she got it again. "How long have I _what?"_

"Liked Rem." He paused to help pull her up.

"Six years," she muttered, knowing that he'd figure it out anyway. Somehow he knew everything.

"Longer than Prongs and Tiger Lily." He grimaced and fought his way over the edge leading to the cave. All of the nights spent running around the forest had finally paid off. He and James had known about the cave before they had spotted it. Many a night the Marauders went into there to check that it was still empty if they ever needed it.

He turned to help Amber, but was surprised to see her sitting next to him comfortably. "I say, that was a long climb. Why didn't we just use magic?" she asked.

"Because James and I said that we were going to make you ladies climb. Work those legs." He pinched her thigh. "Aren't you glad for that workout?"

She was about to retort but James suddenly called out, "Hey! If you two aren't snogging, think you could help me and Lily?"

"Yeah," they both grumbled. They tossed the shrunk backpacks into the cavern and stuck their hands over the edge. Lily had climbed off James and Sirius helped pull her up while Amber helped James.

"Lose some weight, man," she complained to James. "You're Quidditch captain; can't get fat!"

"It's all muscle." James flexed his arm. "What about you, Lils? Any muscle on you?" He poked her in the side.

"No. She's light as a quill," Sirius grumbled. "Makes me jealous."

"Ah, the great things about being small," the red-haired girl sighed.

Everyone laughed and James said, "Okay ladies. There are your bags." He pointed to where Sirius had thrown the pink backpacks. "Go through them and see what's in there. We don't know nor care what's in them."

Amber stood up and brushed dirt off her pants. She looked around the forest and pointed east. "There's a stream, Lils. We can take awash up tomorrow."

"Thank Merlin," the redhead muttered, following Amber into the cave. She called over her shoulder, "You boys can start a fire or something while we set up in here."

Sirius yelled, "Thank you so much, Lily-kins, for assigning us a job so quickly."

"No problem!" came the reply.

He shook his head and stared at James. "Your girl is so bossy."

"I know. She's independent, smart, kind, and beautiful." James's hazel eyes seemed to glaze over. "She's great."

"As long as she dates you soon," Sirius said quietly so the girls wouldn't hear him. "It's killing me to lie to Amber about all this." He looked at Amber, who was laughing at something Lily said. They had been friends for so long; he hoped that she never found out that he had been lying about liking her.

He shook his head and pulled out his wand. "Let's make fire, Ugg," he grunted "caveman" style.

"Make fire so woman-folk no kill us, Erg," James responded, grinning. He pulled out his own wand and both boys said, _"Accio wood!"_

Piles of wood flew up towards them, a few sticks hitting them. They grimaced and didn't say anything to the laughing girls.

"Just think, Lily, we're stuck all weekend with them," Amber commented. She pretended to faint.

Sirius came up behind her and swept her into his arms. "You know you love it," he said in a low voice.

"Put me down, Siri," she demanded. He shook his head. She wrapped her arms around his neck to balance herself and sighed. "You're so frustrating, you know that?"

He bent down and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "I'm good at it, too," he whispered. He set her down on her feet and joined James, who was stacking the wood several feet inside the cavern.

"Well, that was unexpected," Lily said casually, pulling a blanket out of her backpack. "You have got to be kidding me…" She dug around more in the bag and finally came up with nothing. "I think there's only one blanket in each backpack. That means that we'll have to share with those two." She nodded towards Sirius and James, who were attempting to make a fire by rubbing two sticks together.

"And?" Amber asked, rubbing her cheek with her sleeve. A shiver ran down her back as she watched Sirius give up and light the wood with his wand. James yelped and fell on his behind to avoid being burned.

"Did you not hear me? We have to share blankets with _James and Sirius."_ Lily waved her hand in front of her friend's face. "Are you hearing me?"

"Course I am." She shoved the redhead towards James. "Go snog James or something for a minute while I talk to Siri-kins."

Lily reluctantly joined James and Sirius, said something to Sirius, and took his spot by the fire when he got up. He went over to Amber and, before she could say anything, blurted, "If it's about when I kissed you, sorry. You're too tempting."

Amber blinked and felt a faint blush on her face. "Erm–that's not it, but thanks. I was just wondering how you knew about me liking…you know…"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Can't tell you exactly how I found out, but I can tell you that we–the other Marauders and I–heard you and Lily talking in fifth year about it in the common room. That's why Remus stayed away from you for a few days: because he knew you liked him and he gave up on you in third year."

"He–He used to like me?" she stammered. She mentally kicked herself. If only she had asked him out before third year! "But then…why did he…"

"Shag you?" Sirius completed. She nodded. He gave a half-shrug. "Dunno. He never told us anything except that you both agreed it was a mistake."

**FLASHBACK **

In the morning, Amber awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar room. She sat up and looked around before remembering the night before. She smiled slightly and reached for her clothes.

_Remus must have already woken up,_ Amber thought as she stared around the guest bedroom. Sirius was probably going to have a fit when he found out that she and Remus had slept together in his house, but she couldn't care less. She went down the stairs and was met by the smell of bacon. She followed her nose to the kitchen where she found Remus cooking.

"Good morning," she said, trying to sound casual.

"Morning," he replied absently. He placed some bacon on a plate next to some eggs. "I was about to come upstairs to get you." He cleared his throat. "I–uh–need to talk to you. About last night."

Amber shot him a puzzled look. His tone didn't suggest that he wanted to ask her out like she hoped.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out suddenly. "Complete and total accident. I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't mean for that to happen."

She stared at him in shock. His words echoed in her head._ "I didn't mean for that to happen."_ It took all her strength to keep from bursting into tears. She cared about him so much, had been so happy when their lips met. And now this. It was a slap to the face.

She realized Remus was looking stressed and put a smile on her face. "Totally okay, Remus. I wasn't thinking either."

He smiled back and held out his hand. "Still friends?"

"Always." She clasped his hand in hers and felt the familiar tingle run up her spine when she touched him. Her feelings for him were still strong.

**END FLASHBACK **

"I think I'm getting over him, but it's hard to let feelings go," Amber said quietly, not looking at Sirius. "Little over six years have passed since I got a crush on him, and my feelings got stronger every year. When you and I dated on and off, the entire time I would imagine that you were him." She grinned sheepishly at the ground.

Sirius frowned for a moment. Things were going to be difficult if she still cared about Remus so strongly. And he still wasn't used to being rejected. "But now, maybe you and I could have a chance. I'm not asking for a lifetime commitment; just a chance to date you for real," he said softly, putting his hand under her chin and making her look at him. He smiled. "I care about you a lot." _As a friend,_ a little voice in the back of his mind said tauntingly. To silence it, he bent down and placed a kiss on her lips.

Although it was meant to be a simple kiss, Sirius couldn't help himself when he felt her lips under his. He wrapped her arms around her slender waist and she didn't pull away. He felt her emotional distress, her searching for an escape to run from everything. The little nagging voice in his head told him that he shouldn't be playing on her emotions like this, that he needed to wait for when she wasn't so upset about memories. But he couldn't.

His kiss involved nothing but his lips, but it was more than enough. Small shivers shot up her spine.After a number of kisses, his tongue gently ran across her bottom lip.Although her mouth opened, he never entered. A small part of her was thankful because she couldn't think. Sirius's hands started to slip up her shirt, but she pulled away suddenly. "James and Lily are still here, Sirius," she said quietly.

"That would be rather kinky, wouldn't it?" He grinned wolfishly at her.

She grinned back. "But I wouldn't want you to be embarrassed in front of your best mate and my best mate."

Sirius held a hand over his heart. "Touché, Mademoiselle Amber. I have been wounded."

"Sirius, d'you want to go out with me?" she asked.

He gaped at her. "I've been asking you out for weeks and now _you're_ asking _me?" _

"Yep."

"Sure."

"Sirius! Amber! If you're done, get over here!" James yelled, waving them over. When they reached him and Lily he said, "We've been discussing sleeping arrangements."

"There's only one blanket in each backpack, as I said to Amber before," Lily interjected. "So it'd be easier for two blankets to be on the ground and we share the other two."

"Which means we have to find someway to stay comfortable," James added. "We thought it might be a little uncomfortable for you two girls to sleep in the middle, and the same with me and Sirius. So we decided to sleep boy, girl, boy, girl."

"How about James, Lily, me, Amber?" Sirius suggested. "Lily's the smallest so I don't think we'll squish her. Amber?"

She shrugged. "Fine with me."

"I don't mind. As long as James doesn't touch me purposely." Lily gave him a warning look, but it seemed almost softer than her usual glare.

"Can I?" Sirius asked jokingly, grinning.

"I'll kill you," both girls said at the same time.

"Ooh, the witches are being witchy," he teased. James playfully slapped him on the back of the head.

"The only thing left is sleep." Sirius stood and stretched. His back audibly popped several times. "We need to get up bright and early to go fishing."

Lily pulled a face. "I can't believe we have to hunt. Can't we eat veggies instead?" Everyone stared at her. "What? Roots, berries, and such are good for you."

"You can get a salad, friend," said Amber, pulling the other girl to her feet. She smoothed her brown hair and did the same to Sirius. "You need a haircut," she decided. "Seriously, Sirius." She gave a half-grin.

The four arranged the blankets so they could all have some space if needed and so James and Amber wouldn't roll out from under the blankets. The boys fell asleep almost instantly, but Lily and Amber stayed awake.

"Amber?" Lily said after a while, putting her elbows on Sirius's chest and looking at her friend.

"Hm?" the other girl replied, half-asleep.

"Who do you like: Remus or Sirius?"

Now Amber was awake. She propped herself up on an elbow and stared. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're–no offense–slightly obsessive when it comes to Remus, but I heard you agree to go out with Sirius. Why?"

"I haven't told him it'll be the usual two weeks unless I feel differently about him. Besides, I told you, Patty, and Sammy on the train I'm starting to lose my feelings for Remus. Maybe being with Sirius will be good for me."

"I hope so. No offense again, but I don't think that you and Remus would make a great couple. You're…outgoing and crazy and he's quiet and studious. It'd be like me going out with Potter." She cast a disgusted look over her shoulder at James's sleeping form. He was close to rolling over on top of his glasses so she moved them without thinking about it.

Amber raised her eyebrows. "That was an awfully nice thing to do for someone you claim to hate," she said in an almost singsong voice.

"I just don't want to hear him gripe," Lily said nonchalantly. "Well, I guess we'd better get to sleep. Goodnight, Am."

"Goodnight, Lils." Amber flipped back over with her back to Sirius. When she heard Lily's deep breathing joined with the boys' (thank goodness _they_ didn't snore) she turned onto her other side and watched Sirius sleep. He was lying on his back, one arm on his stomach and the other on the ground. She gently kissed his lips and felt…nothing. Her own lips curled into a smile. Good. That was the way she wanted it.

Sirius would be a pawn in a game similar to James's. She knew how close he was with Remus. Maybe, just maybe, Sirius would talk about her to Remus and Remus would like her again. Not very likely, but she could try. In the meantime, she would act as if she did like him. She curled up close to Sirius and fell asleep on his shoulder.

**A/N: Two plots to get certain people to like certain people. Ought to be interesting. Review! And I'm asking this question way in advance: Would you like to meet Amber's father, whom she hasn't seen since she was a month old? It won't happen in the next few chapters, but eventually would you? I won't guarantee that your responses will affect my decision (heck, _I_ haven't decided if I want him in here) but it probably will. Review with your answer!**


	11. Sorry It Took So Long

**A/N: I was really rather surprised at the reactions to Amber's plan. No comments were made about the James's plot, but then Amber was considered mean. It's the same thing, really, only with different people. Neither Amber nor Sirius care about each other beyond friend status but they're getting into a serious relationship (Amber told Lily that she was going to tell Sirius that they would date for two weeks only because she didn't want her friend to suspect anything) but it's only so someone would–hopefully–become interested in someone else. But I just wanted to say how surprised I was about how people reacted to hearing about Amber's plan and how people reacted to James's.**

_"Goodnight, Lils." Amber flipped back over with her back to Sirius. When she heard Lily's deep breathing joined with the boys' (thank goodness _they_ didn't snore) she turned onto her other side and watched Sirius sleep. He was lying on his back, one arm on his stomach and the other on the ground. She gently kissed his lips and felt…nothing. Her own lips curled into a smile. Good. That was the way she wanted it._

_Sirius would be a pawn in a game similar to James's. She knew how close he was with Remus. Maybe, just maybe, Sirius would talk about her to Remus and Remus would like her again. Not very likely, but she could try. In the meantime, she would act as if she did like him. She curled up close to Sirius and fell asleep on his shoulder._

The caw of a bird woke James up before the sun had fully risen. He tried to jump up but the weight of another body and a small sound of protest stopped him. He looked at his chest and was startled to see Lily practically on top of him. Her entire upper body was on his chest, preventing him from moving too much. He tried to gently push her off, but she let out another sound of protest in her sleep. He gave up and laid his head back down, contenting himself with stroking her hair. Occasionally she sighed and smiled a little.

Lily shifted and her thigh rubbed him somewhere that did not need to be touched. James gritted his teeth and thought of cold, painful things. It didn't work. If she didn't stop, he might just have to ravish her right then and there. "You're killing me, Lily," he said next to her ear.

She sat up quickly with a squawk of outrage. "You-You...you should have woken me up, you bastard," she snapped. She wiggled her way out of the blankets without waking up Sirius or Amber. James sat up and gaped at her.

"Well, excuse me for letting you get some sleep!" he fired back. "Geez, _Evans,_ quit being so bitchy."

"Excuse me!" she sputtered. "Do you expect me to be happy after I woke up on top of you?"

"If you're gonna shag, do it somewhere else," Sirius grumbled. Lily and James stared at him, but he just fell back asleep. Lily instantly returned to giving James a 'Death Glare'.

"Look, you can switch places with Amber tonight. Just go back to sleep," said James, rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was far too early to deal with this.

"Fine," she huffed. She crawled back under the blankets, distancing herself from both boys as much as she could. Mortification ran through her all the way to her toes. At least he hadn't asked if she had been dreaming.

"Hey, Lily, what were you dreaming about?"

Lily groaned and covered her head with her arms.

* * *

"Alright! I caught another one!" Amber shouted gleefully. She yanked the dead fish off her makeshift spear and tossed it into the small pile on the riverbank. She had been the only one to catch anything worth eating all day.

"How do you do that?" Sirius asked, leaning on his own spear and staring at her.

Amber waded towards him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Now, don't move unless I tell you to," she whispered in his ear. "Don't even twitch a toe. See? The fish won't suspect you now. Wait for it...wait...wait...now!" She helped him stab a fish and kissed his cheek. "It's easy."

"That's disgusting," Lily commented, soaking her feet in the water downstream. She saw a small trickle of blood go by, followed by a small swarm of fish. "Ow! Would someone tell me why I keep getting fish down here that like to nibble on toes!"

"It's because of that nail polish, Lily! It looks like bait!" Amber called back, helping Sirius with another fish. "James, kill a couple fish so the others willavoid the smell of blood, would you? Sirius couldn't spear a fish if his life depended on it." She paused and grinned at James on shore. "Then again, neither can you."

"Hilarious," he said dryly. He rolled the bottom of his jeans up to his knees and kicked off his shoes and socks. He grabbed his own spear. "Don't move your feet, Evans," he ordered coolly as he hovered over her shoulder. "I don't want to stab you by mistake."

"Amber! Heeeelp!" Lily yelled desperately. "I just know he's going to-AHHH!" Her words were cut off by the splash of water as James drove the sharpened stone at the end of his spear into a defenseless fish. Startled, she had screamed. She withdrew her feet from the water and examined her feet to make sure he hadn't hit her. She trusted him, but not that much. She could have been going into shock or something and that was why she couldn't feel the pain. But she was fine.

James walked away and threw the fish with its dead fishy friends and relatives without another glance at Lily. To say the least, he was slightly mad because she had acted as if he had pulled her on top of him that morning. They had an unspoken agreement to not tell Amber or Sirius. Yet, anyway. Lily would probably tell Amber, Patty, and Sam at the same time; and James would tell all of the Marauders at the same time.

Lily brushed off the thought of James and concentrated on scrubbing her feet with the water. She'd been collecting edible plants in her bare feet and they were filthy.

"Evans, can you come over here?" James called over his shoulder.  
She sighed and walked over to him. "What?" she asked grumpily.

"I have no idea what any of this is," he snapped. "Quit being a bitch and help." He pulled her arm so she was kneeling in the dirt with him. He pointed out a pile of roots. "Before I ask about anything else, why in the bloody hell did you get roots of whatever plant?"

"I went camping with my dad when I was nine and he taught me which roots are edible and taste good. Just try one." She picked one up and handed it to him. "It's okay to eat it without cooking it. You just need to wash it. And that's already done."

He looked doubtful but bit into it anyway. He chewed thoughtfully for minute, swallowed, and said, "It's okay. I'd rather have a plate of sausage and eggs though."

Lily didn't smile. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have been rude this morning. It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah it was. I could have shoved you off. Still friends?" He held his hand out to her.

"We're friends?" She asked, surprised.  
"Well, maybe not..." He frowned a little and started to drop his hand but she grabbed it.  
"No, we are," she agreed quickly. They smiled at each other and dropped their hands.

Amber and Sirius wandered over, arms around each other. It almost looked like they actually really liked each other. Except they were touching each other as little as possible. They were bickering over how much magic they should use over the weekend. From what Lily could make out, Amber wanted to use more magic and Sirius wanted to use minimum magic.

"It'll make this more like a Muggle camping trip," Sirius proclaimed. He winked. "And it's more romantic, if you know what I mean."

"Take it slow, Siri-kins," Amber laughed. She poked his chest. "You're not getting anything this weekend."

"Thank Merlin," said James under his breath so only Lily could hear. She stifled a giggle.

"So we're going to trek all around the border…just to look for different animals?"

"Precisely, my dear Watson."

"This assignment stinks like a cow's a—" Sirius's complaining was interrupted by a tree root that tripped him too the amusement of the others. He jumped up automatically, ignoring the sniggers, and broke into a song that he had heard at James's house over summer holiday by the Eagles:  
"Raven hair and ruby lips  
sparks fly from her finger tips  
Echoed voices in the night  
she's a restless spirit on an endless flight  
woo hoo, witchy woman, see how  
high she flies!"

Lily and Amber groaned as James joined in.

"Woo hoo witchy woman she got  
the moon in her eye.  
She held me spellbound in the night  
dancing shadows and firelight  
crazy laughter in another  
room and she drove herself to madness  
with a silver spoon."

"Enough Witchy Woman!" the girls shouted.

James stopped but Sirius continued:  
"Woo hoo witchy woman see how high she flies.  
Woo hoo witchy woman she got the moon in her eye.  
Well I know you want a lover,  
let me tell your brother, she's been sleeping  
in the Devil's bed."

At which point Amber kicked him.

**A/N: The last part was pretty pointless except for some slight comedy relief. Heehee. I'll have the next chapter up very, very, _VERY_ soon! Lyrics from: **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Okies, I have decided to switch to LiveJournal and The Great Break. Links to both are on my lookup. You can find The Perfect Plot over there...unless you've already decided that I'm never going to update. **xD** I promise you, I'm going to update a lot more there. And it will definitely be R or higher. I'll keep my other stories here, however, and I'll make new stories and put them here on FF.


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